The Piggy in the Puddle (Reading Rainbow Books) [Paperback]

Charlotte Pomerantz (Author), James Marshall (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 31, 1989 | Age Level: 3 and up | Series: Reading Rainbow Books

See the piggy,

See the puddle,

See the muddy little puddle.

See the piggy in the middle

Of the muddy little puddle.

And so begins this rollicking story-in-verse about a determined young pig who absolutely refuses to leave her mud puddle -- much to the dismay of her family!

Charlotte Pomerantz's tongue-twisting nonsense verse -- made even more exuberantly hilarious by James Marshall's illustrations -- is sure to delight both children and adults.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"See the piggy, / See the puddle, / See the muddy little puddle. / See the piggy in the middle / Of the muddy little puddle. / See her dawdle, see her diddle / In the muddy, muddy middle. / See her waddle, plump and little, / In the very merry middle." So begins Charlotte Pomerantz's irresistibly catchy verse story The Piggy in the Puddle. It's the classic "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" tale, as the little she-piggy's father, mother, and brother take turns exhorting her to exit the mud puddle in which she is frolicking, only to have her respond with a happy "Nope!" One by one, they give up and plunge into the puddle where they too discover the joys of the "squishy-squashy, mooshy-squooshy, oofy-poofy" mud.

James Marshall, creator of the George and Martha books, provides the perfect visual accompaniments. True to form, he depicts the admonishing father pig ("See her daddy, / Fuddy-duddy, fuddy-duddy, fuddy-duddy. / 'Don't you get all muddy, / Muddy muddy muddy muddy") as a large, fez-wearing, mustachio-sporting hog, standing on a box of soap. All you can see of the scolded little pig is the end of her snout and the word "Nope!" Young children will delight in the silly, repetitive verse of this Reading Rainbow Book--and of course the forbidden pleasures of being in the middle of a messy, messy muddle. (Excellent read-aloud for preschoolers, but perfect for early readers ages 4 and older) --Karin Snelson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin (March 31, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689712936
• ISBN-13: 978-0689712937
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 8.2 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #138,069 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #20 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( M ) > Marshall, James

More About the Author

Charlotte Pomerantz was born in Brooklyn, NY; she and her husband raised their two children in Manhattan. Charlotte has had stories, poems, and articles in anthologies, in Publishers Weekly and The New York Times Book Review. She is coauthor of a book and lyrics for a musical, EUREKA!, performed at the Bruce Walt Auditorium at Lincoln Center.

▪ POSY received a Christopher Award and was named a Junior Literary Guild selection.
▪ THE MOUSERY won the Christopher Award.
▪ THE HALF-BIRTHDAY PARTY and THE MANGO TOOTH were Junior Literary Guild selections.
▪ TAMARINDO PUPPY was named a Notable Book by the American Library Association and a Reading Rainbow Book.
▪ IF I HAD A PAKA was cited as an Honor Book in the Jane Addams Children's Book Awards.
▪ THE PRINCESS AND THE ADMIRAL won the Jane Addams Children's Book Award.
▪ THE DAY THEY PARACHUTED CATS ON BORNEO was chosen for the International Board on Books for Young People for the International Year of the Child.
▪ HOW MANY TRUCKS CAN A TOW TRUCK TOW won the Children's Book of the Year Award, Library of Congress.
▪ PIGGY IN THE PUDDLE won the New York Times Outstanding Picture Book of the Year.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Squishy-Squashy, Mooshy-Squooshy,Oofy-Poofy Fun....., July 25, 2001

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Piggy in the Puddle (Hardcover)

"See the piggy,/See the puddle,/See the muddy little puddle./See the piggy in the middle/Of the muddy little puddle." She dawdles and diddles. She waddles in the merry middle. She dives and paddles, wiggles and giggles and though she's making the rest of her family very angry, she's having a blast. What's her daddy, mommy and brother to do? No matter how hard they try to convince her to get out of the muddy middle of the puddle and wash up with soap, she always says "Nope!" Well as the old saying goes...If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. And that's just what each of them do..... Charlotte Pomerantz's piggy puddle classic, is as fresh and delightful today as it was when she wrote it over twenty-five years ago. Her joyful, rhyming text, full of silly verse, wordplay and tongue-twisting alliteration is complemented by James Marshall's very familiar, humorous and expressive illustrations and together this dynamic duo will have youngsters giggling and laughing out loud at the antics of this charming pig family. Perfect for early readers, The Piggy in the Puddle makes an even better read aloud story the entire family will enjoy. This is a book to treasure and share now and with each new generation to come. Make sure you get your copy, today!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do we love it? YEP!, March 12, 2002

By 

Marilynn Griffith (Florida United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Piggy in the Puddle (Reading Rainbow Books) (Paperback)

We checked this out from the library a few weeks ago, and it's a hit! I homeschool my six kids and they've asked for this one EVERY day. A first around here. They love it so much, they've assigned parts and we're planning to perform it as a play for our friends (if we can just get our three-year-old piggy to stay in the muddy middle...) This is a treat and I think it my be four-year-olds first memorized story.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Piggy in the Puddle is hilarious and addictive!, September 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Piggy in the Puddle (Reading Rainbow Books) (Paperback)

I started reading Piggy in the Puddle when my children were little and my oldest is now an adult. Our copy mysteriously disapeared when it was taken to school for a 9th grader's project. Everyone in our family still recites it from memory 7 years later. One our daughter is now studying to be an elementary teacher and wants a copy of the book for student teaching. I am sure that this book was an important part of the reason that all of our children love to read to this day. It is an essential for the library of every family of young children.